As I was filling out a survey for my classmate Nate, I thought about my own stance on his topic regarding the effects of technology in education. Quite often there’s a stigma associated with technology in the classroom. People will argue that technology, such as laptops and cell phones, is distracting to students in class, and the frequency of its use outside of class has further inhibited their attention spans and learning abilities at school.
While some of this may be true, I nonetheless fully endorse the use of technology in the classroom, as its benefits far out weight the costs. For one, technology’s integration into our lives is inevitable. Technological innovation is a worldwide phenomenon that is only going to continue growing, and because of this, it is imperative that we as the next working generation understand how to utilize such resources. School, after all, is all about being prepared for the outside world.
Secondly, when thinking about this topic and how it applies to my own life, I haven’t had a single class this year that has not in some way required the use of technology. In OMIS, for example, I needed to use the computer to create websites, databases, and spreadsheets. In this class, I used the internet to gain access to online sources for my research papers and to create this blog.
On this same note, the use of technology, the Internet in particular, allows us to share and view other people’s ideas and work on a global-scale. For example, websites such as YouTube or WordPress provide a platform for people to express themselves in different ways while sharing their creations with others. This allows us to make connections with people whom we wouldn’t otherwise have known about in the absence of technology.
These are just a couple of the many reasons why I believe the presence of technology is necessary in education, and why we should embrace and make the most out of the inevitable instead of trying to avoid it.
Works Cited
http://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/default/cme/cme_public_images/www_ehow_com/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/117/241/78742085_XS.jpg
http://previews.123rf.com/images/amasterpics123/amasterpics1231208/amasterpics123120800162/14821565-Internet-world-wide-web-concept-Earth-globe-with-www-text-and-computer-hand-cursor-isolated-on-white-Stock-Photo.jpg